Berlin, Germany with Adam Marelli - June 11-14, 2015

$2,450

This event has already occured

Why Berlin

After successful workshops in Prague and Florence, Leica Store Miami + Adam Marelli Workshops wanted to keep the European adventures rolling. This summer we will be hosting a workshop in Berlin, Germany. Berlin is a laid back city with a friendly population that is typically receptive to photographers. Home to world-class art, music and culture, Berlin is a diverse city where the past and present are still coming together. It has an undeniable past, but running through the streets is a bohemian feel that makes it a magnet for creativity, making it the perfect location to hone your photography skills. Whether we are chasing down a game of baci ball along the river to shooting a model on location, Berlin is a brilliant backdrop oﬀering a range of settings from classical architecture to grittier relics of the post-war years.

In this 4 Day workshop we will explore the city as backdrop, a muse and your own personal photographic studio. Together, we will discover the connection between photography, art and the vibrant culture of Berlin. You will learn how to apply this holistic approach to your personal vision anywhere in the world.

What’s included

Four days of guided shooting around our favorite locations in Berlin

A private shoot in a local artisan's studio

A session with professional models with one-on-one instruction on environmental portraiture

Composition and lighting presentations by Adam Marelli that have been featured on B&H Photo Series, Petapixel and his Image Maker Series at the International Center for Photography

Technical workflow instruction for Adobe Lightroom from Leica expert David Farkas, who has 25 years experience in professional digital imaging and printing

Large selection of Leica cameras and lenses to use for the duration of workshop, including M (Typ 240), M Monochrom and legendary lenses like the 50mm Noctilux and the 50mm APO-Summicron

Adam’s approach

Adam's approach to photo instruction is very different from the usual photo workshop. His foundation as a painter, sculptor and craftsman add tremendously to his photography experience and his ability to teach classical composition and lighting techniques. In the one-on-one critique sessions, Adam is direct, honest and extremely constructive (and sometimes downright hilarious), getting participants to reach a new level of self-reflectance in their photography. By the end of the workshop, you'll find yourself hearing his critiques in your head as you frame prospective images. As a result, in just a week you'll approach composition and image making from a new perspective and find yourself able to easily identify your strongest photos, while avoiding past mistakes.

Of course, you might also find yourself learning more than you ever thought possible about art and artists, as Adam has been known to bring to bear his encyclopedic knowledge of art history when discussing photography. We might even find ourselves taking a short break from photography, visiting a museum or gallery where Adam will walk us through some of the pieces. This is not your typical photo workshop.

What to expect

If you would like to know what to expect, just read some of the testimonials from recent workshops:

“The workshop in Prague brought me to a new level of photographic appreciation. Your criticism based on sound artistic concepts and comparison with masters like Cartier-Bresson were particularly enlightening, opening a path to more discerning evaluation on the interaction of light, subject and technique. Street photography and portraiture were exciting discoveries, with challenging new environment and equipment.”

Carlos Bertoni, Prague Workshop, 2013 and he has joined the Adam Marelli One on One Program

“Adam offers participants an increased self-awareness on observation. His approach focuses on a continuity of factors (in this case art and photography.) I found it influential not only as a photographer but also as an architect—perhaps a Renaissance approach. Something that in our contemporary lives is often ignored.”

Arturo Rojas, Prague Workshop 2013

First, I just want to say how much I enjoyed meeting you and Stacy and spending time with you in Berlin. It was a fun, challenging, intellectually stimulating, and eye opening weekend. I purposely waited a few days to respond to your email because I was waiting for the buzz to subside — I knew it couldn’t last — so I could think clearly about my impressions of the workshop and the lessons I learned there.

You’re right that I did give it my all, because I wanted to practice the lessons and be able to get direct feedback from you. You are an excellent teacher and mentor and I was very impressed by your insight and judgement, your amazing abitlity to instantly recall images that demonstrate your points and bring them up on the computer, and the substance and clarity with which you answered our questions! You’re the real deal, Adam.

You’re also right in that I anticipated hearing the design concepts you teach in your videos and writings, but looking back over the weekend, it makes sense to first develop us and help us bring ourselves into our photography. To concentrate on the design aspects first, before you know what you want to shoot, would lead to a frustrating experience. That was clearly the most significant take away for me — the process of going from not knowing what to shoot, to having an idea I could work, to getting your artistic and technical feedback on my first images. This processed changed my relationship to photography. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt like an artist.

It was without a doubt the most transformational photography instruction I’ve ever had and it could never have come from an article, book, blog, or YouTube video. Your workshop provided that invaluable experience!

I enjoyed the pace and rhythm of the workshop, too. You’re very disciplined and focused, but you guided us in a relaxed manner and allowed the workshop to flow naturally without imposing a strict structure to it. It was very well done.

Finally, I was impressed with the people you attract to your workshops. It was so refreshing to get out of my own orbit and meet such accomplished people with interesting backgrounds and stories. Our lunches and dinners together were a highlight for me. Please feel free to share my email with them as I’d like to keep in touch with everyone. And please feel free to use/edit my comments for use as a testimonial.Thanks again Adam! It was a real pleasure.”

Sincerely,–Greg Burke, Berlin 2014

Home BaseThe workshop is based at the 25hours Hotel Bikini Berlin in the City West, situated between the Berlin Zoo and Breitscheidplatz. This stylish boutique hotel is a perfect launch pad for daily shooting and fully equipped with a restaurant and bar to unwind after being out all day. All of the design lectures and reviews will be hosted at the hotel, with full wiﬁ for each photographer to work on their laptops during the workshops. During the summer months, the restaurant/bar on the rooftop terrace offer first-class, 360° views of the city and the Berlin Zoo. Other nearby hotel options include the Waldorf Astoria Berlin and the Intercontinental Berlin, which are just minutes away.

StructurePeople often ask, “What is the structure of the workshop?” The distinction between the days you endured at school versus a workshop, is that the workshop is allows you to explore your interests. Think of the structure as an independent study with an on site mentor.

What’s included

Four days of guided shooting around our favorite locations in Berlin

A private shoot in a local artisan's studio

A session with professional models with one-on-one instruction on environmental portraiture

Composition and lighting presentations by Adam Marelli that have been featured on B&H Photo Series, Petapixel and his Image Maker Series at the International Center for Photography

Technical workflow instruction for Adobe Lightroom from Leica expert David Farkas, who has 25 years experience in professional digital imaging and printing

Large selection of Leica cameras and lenses to use for the duration of workshop, including M (Typ 240), M Monochrom and legendary lenses like the 50mm Noctilux and the 50mm APO-Summicron

What’s not included

Hotel, meals and transportation is not included. Because everyone’s needs are different, participants are free to make their own arrangements. Some might want to stay in a five star luxury hotel while others are fine with basic lodging. Berlin has plenty of options that run the full gamut and we are happy to make any recommendations.

Can my partner or spouse come?Yes, your partner or spouse can come and they are welcome to join us for meals. A word of caution, most of the couples who join had a great time, but since they are not oﬃcially part of the workshop, plans are not coordinated around meeting up with partners. If you are an independent couple who travels well together and separate then it will be ﬁne, if not, maybe it’s a better idea to come solo.

What if I am a beginner?Beginners are welcome, but the workshop is set at the pace of a functioning amateur who knows how to work their camera. You do not need to have excellent post production skills, but it is important that you can work your camera. Everyone comes with diﬀerent cameras, which is why it is important that you can operate your camera. If you have any doubts, do not hesitate to contact me in advance. I will speak with you via Skype to determine if the workshop is a ﬁt for you.

Can I suggest a shoot?Yes, if there is something you would like to shoot speciﬁcally, please let me know in advance. I always encourage photographers to come with subjects in mind, which is why we are happy to accommodate shoot requests. If it is logistically possible for the group to shoot the location, we will try to make arrangements for it.

How much time do I get shooting with Adam Marelli and David Farkas?We go out together on every shoot. Adam and David will also be working closely with each participant during edit and critique sessions.

Is there anything I should study before the workshops?As a primer to the workshop, “A Room for Improvement” on Udemy was designed to give you the tools you need at home, so we can get to the exciting things in the workshop (links below.)

What is the Cancellation Policy?

Because this workshop is limited to only eight participants and most people need to make arrangements far in advance, we'd request any cancellation to be made with 60 days’ notice. If a cancellation is made more than 60 days prior to the workshop, only a non-refundable deposit of $700 would be forfeited.